1996 Electronics Industry Environmental Roadmap - Civil and ...

Disposition
and government for establishing a disposition system, a cost-share project may be the linchpin to
a successful and efficient plan. A potential project might target the development of innovative
mixed-plastics separation technology and the integration of this new technology into state-of-theart
mechanical separation processes in a pilot facility. One goal of the project might be to
develop a more sophisticated density, or another mechanical, separation technique to broaden the
scope of materials that can be feasibly recovered from mixed rigid-plastics stream.
CRT Displays: In order to address the technical difficulties hindering the use of retired monitors
as resource materials, a project might be launched to establish the infrastructure needed to obtain
the CRT displays and overcome the technical challenges associated with recycling. The “Green
Paper on the Environmental Issues and Needed Research in Color Displays,” a draft paper prepared
through the EIA, proposes the following projects to produce a viable recycling industry for
CRTs [25]:
Tube disassembly: alternative separation methods, such as hydrocutting, sawing, and
laser assisted cracking.
Downcycling: formulating glasses with other inexpensive materials to create useful
glasses an/or useful forms for the secondary uses of the glass. Batch assay technologies
and protocols would allow the use of variable compositions of glasses (avoids tank
upsets).
Phosphor and coating recovery: safe, inexpensive techniques to maintain the purity of the
recovered glass stream; potential value in conductive-coating and phosphor-containing
sludge resulting from the cleaning process.
Sorting technologies: currently used UV and X-ray fluorescence technologies for
identifying glass manufactured in 1994 and 1995, such as automated sorting via machine
vision and fuzzy logic and segregation of mixed glasses by specific gravity.
Risk assessment and proper treatment: refine the EPA risk assessment procedures to be
able to compare eventual environmental outcomes of disposal practices with respect to
heavy metal bearing glasses.
Lead free solder glass frit: this material is used to join two major components of the
CRT, the faceplate and the funnel. It is the highest lead content (80% to 85% lead oxide).
Alternative materials would reduce the amount of lead available for leaching.
Printed Wiring Boards: Another valuable portion of most commercial electronic products is the
printed wiring board. The PWB sector provides an important and encouraging example of
actions to improve environmental performance and reduce manufacturing costs. Additionally, it
is a target area for a number of disposition-related projects. One such project has been proposed
to: 1) evaluate the feasibility of recycling PWBs and assemblies to lower product cost and
decrease adverse environmental impacts from disposal, and 2) develop a national infrastructure
for recycling the materials used in PWBs and assemblies. It is believed that the establishment of
networks of recyclers on a national scale will allow manufacturers ready access to recycling
markets for used boards and assemblies. The proposal also calls for a central data clearinghouse,
which would provide a technology transfer mechanism for updated procedures and equipment.
Marketing disclosure of used parts and UL requirements may exist.
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